(No Date) Civil War Store Card F-805A-2A, OH

Coin Details

Description

Civil War-era store card from Cummins & Anderson, a Shelby, Ohio business. The breadth of Ohio's Civil War token production reflects the state's diverse economy, from Cincinnati's river trade to Cleveland's Lake Erie shipping to interior manufacturing towns. The 14 cataloged varieties for Cummins & Anderson indicate a notable level of token production. The copper composition of this variety (Fuld 805A-2A) is common for this merchant. Undated Civil War tokens like this one circulated alongside dated issues during the 1862-1864 period. Professional die sinkers like John Stanton, Benjamin True, and William Bridgens supplied dies to merchants across the Northern states. The Civil War small change crisis generated the largest private coinage movement in American history, with merchants and die sinkers producing tokens for circulation. Surviving specimens are tangible artifacts of the wartime monetary crisis that affected every commercial transaction in the Northern states.

Rarity Notes

Copper strikings are generally the most common metal variant for Civil War store cards, as copper was the standard planchet material mimicking the federal cent. With 14 cataloged varieties, Cummins & Anderson was a notable token issuer.

Cross References

Fuld 805A-2A